Soundwave's Awkward, Very Strange Day
by Kitty1994
Summary: Based on Demyrie's 'Odd Couple' and 'Odd Moments'. Soundwave gets an unexpected visitor, and his day just turns out strangely, with no sign of becoming normal anytime soon.
1. Chapter 1

Soundwave's Awkward, Very Strange Day

Hello peeps! First of all, I know that I had other stories in desperate need of updating. However, this would not leave me alone. It is set in the wonderful Demyrie's 'Odd Couple' and 'Odd Moments' universe. And yes, the title is a shameless rip-off of the 'Odd Moments' chapter title _Megatron's No Good Very Bad Day_. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers in any way. This wonderful re-imagining belongs to Demyrie.

* * *

There were times, Soundwave mused, when he was eternally grateful that he had his own apartment, disused though it may be. For the last week, Rumble and Frenzy had been particularly rambunctious. Every time he had gone to visit his sister and nephews, there had been some new disaster, caused each and every time by the twins. When he woke up on his day off from work, he sighed and mentally prepared himself for the disaster that was almost guaranteed.

Thanks to their latest stunt, his sister's apartment was... _damaged_ to say the least, and while it was easily fixed in a day, the workers had to do it today, or it wouldn't be done until a week-and-a-half from now. Unfortunately, Karen had work, and it was an unquestionable fact that Rumble and Frenzy couldn't be trusted alone anywhere. So, from nine-thirty in the morning to six at night, Rumble and Frenzy would be unleashed upon Soundwave's unsuspecting apartment.

Gently removing Ravage from where she had been curled up on his chest, he rolled to sit on the edge of his bed and look at his bedside clock. A bright red _8:57_ stared back, and he reached over to turn off the alarm that was blaring angrily at him. Stretching, he quietly padded to his kitchen, and started the coffee pot, before pouring himself a bowl of cereal and sitting down to eat.

He had just made himself a cup of coffee when someone knocked on his door. Puzzled, he glanced at his stove's display, which read _9:14_. He briefly contemplated checking his cellphone for a message from his sister about dropping Rumble and Frenzy off early, but was prompted by another knock to go to the door. He subconsciously tensed when he opened the door to find Shockwave, dressed in a dark brown turtle-neck and black slacks.

Soundwave suddenly felt very self-conscious in his own T-shirt and pajama pants.

"May I come in?"

Shockwave's crisp accent jolted Soundwave from his surprised stare, and he nodded dumbly as he moved aside to let Shockwave in. After a few moments Soundwave remembered what he had been doing and nervously signed 'Coffee?'. A quiet 'Yes, please,' spurred him into motion, and soon they were seated at Soundwave's kitchen table. Soundwave sipped his coffee in awkward silence while silence while Shockwave blankly drank from his own mug.

Shockwave had just set his coffee mug down on the table when the unthinkable happened: Ravage, in true psychotic-she-cat form, suddenly raced across the table, displacing everything on it. Soundwave could only watch in alarmed disbelief as Shockwave's coffee was sent flying, drenching Shockwave in nearly a whole mug's-worth of coffee.

There was silence as Ravage zoomed around the kitchen, before finally leaving to dive behind the living room couch. Soundwave stared in open-mouthed horror for a few moments, before the vaguely surprised look on Shockwave's face caught his attention. He jumped up and amidst frantically signed 'Sorry!'s, 'New clothes,' and 'Wash!', he somehow managed to push Shockwave into his bathroom with a T-shirt and a pair of draw-string pants.

Heaving a weary non-sigh, Soundwave grabbed a towel and mopped up the floor and table in the kitchen. The sound of the shower running assured him that he had a moment to collect himself, and he slumped down onto his couch. He glared at a passing Ravage, who looked at him innocently before trotting off in the direction of his bedroom.

His reprieve, however, was short-lived. At the sound of the front door opening, he looked up just in time to be tackled by two squealing balls of nephew. Surprise swept across his features, before being replaced with dawning realization as he glanced at the clock on the wall.

Before he could even attempt to usher the twins into a different part of the apartment, and hopefully get Shockwave to leave without a scene, the bathroom door opened. A still-damp Shockwave stepped out, Soundwave's too-big clothes hanging off of him, making him look even thinner than usual. Rumble and Frenzy stared at Shockwave, glancing between the two men a few times before disentangling themselves from Soundwave. Both of them looked ridiculously excited.

"Boss! Why didn't you tell us your boyfriend would be here?"

Soundwave blushed in embarrassment while Shockwave, stoic as ever, turned back into the bathroom and retrieved his coffee-soaked clothes. As Soundwave got up to take Shockwave's clothes and wash them, Rumble and Frenzy attacked Shockwave with a barrage of questions, all of which were answered with short, nondescript replies.

During the next hour-and-a-half, Rumble and Frenzy played a game, which Soundwave had mentally dubbed 'Ask Soundwave Embarrassing Questions Until He Snaps', while they waited for Shockwave's clothes to be washed and dried.

Amazingly, by the time eleven rolled around, Soundwave had not spontaneously combusted from embarrassment, much to his chagrin. It seemed no matter how much he insisted, his denials of any... _relationship_ with Shockwave were dismissed when the twins looked to the blonde man for confirmation and he simply remained silent. To them, Shockwave's lack of response was an undeniable confirmation.

So, at eleven-forty-three, Soundwave was very relieved to hear the insistent '_beep-beep-beep_' of the drier. At this point, Rumble and Frenzy had momentarily tired themselves out enough to fall asleep on the living room couch, with Ravage having wiggled her way into the middle.

Soundwave retrieved Shockwave's clothes from the drier and returned them to the skinny man, who then silently took them and walked to the bathroom to change. After he was finished, Soundwave walked him to the door. In a split second, Soundwave suddenly found himself held firmly against the wall next to the door by Shockwave.

Instantly tense, he ended up looking directly into Shockwave's eye, and saw a flash of something he couldn't distinguish. The sudden firm press of a warm mouth against his own surprised him further. After a few tense moments, Soundwave relaxed into the impromptu kiss, at which point Shockwave abruptly pulled away. Shockwave then calmly strode out of Soundwave's apartment, leaving a very confused and flushed D-Con Communications Officer in his wake.

Soundwave simply stared baffled at the now closed door. This, he decided, was what he got for letting Shockwave into his apartment.

His body, on the other hand, couldn't decide if he really minded.

* * *

OH SHOCKWAVE. I can totally see him doing this, if only to mess with poor Soundwave's head. You wanna blame someone for this ship? Blame Demyrie, because it's ALL HER FAULT. On second thought, go read her stuff and praise her for her awesome-ness! Unless there is OVERWHELMING DEMAND this will remain a one-shot. Then again, one well written review is probably all it'll take to break my resolve of 'FINISH-YOUR-OTHER-STORIES-FIRST-KITTY'.


	2. Chapter 2

Soundwave's Awkward, Very Strange Day

Chapter 2

Well, like I said, it would probably take just _one_ well-written review to convince me to continue this, much less _six_ in less than 24-hours. Thanks!

I have cats. All of Ravage and Bradbury's actions are based on things my cats almost/have done.

At the end of chapter 1, after I decided to continue, I realized I needed someone to be Soundwave's buddy. Someone I could possibly engineer a common interest with, to help him get over his 'OH GOD SHOCKWAVE KISSED ME- DOES THAT MEAN HE'S GONNA KILL ME OR OTHER SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS- FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF'.

I wanted to make it one of the Seeker-sibs, and though I love Skywarp and Thundercracker, 'Warp is too afraid of ANYTHING, and T.C. would a horrible person to talk to about this kind of thing. And I figured 'Hey, I bet Slipstream would totally love to hang out and cuddle Ravage! (if only to see Starscream throw a fit when she saw him again about how he could 'smell cat'.)' AND THERE, the end to this ungodly long author's note. (Okay, maybe not _that_ long) Enjoy chapter 2!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers in any way. This wonderful re-imagining belongs to Demyrie.

-BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-

The next day, Soundwave was irrationally jumpy at work. While it was true that by the nature of his position, he didn't receive many visitors, jumping a foot in the air while a muffled burst of static escaped his vocalizer was hardly a proper response to Slipstream marching into his office and slamming the door angrily behind her. He mentally scolded himself while Slipstream threw herself into the only other chair in the room. It wasn't as if Shockwave was suddenly going to stroll into his office and start molesting him.

A happy Ravage slipped out from under his desk and trotted over to the scowling woman. Slipstream snatched her up and began to aggressively pet the she-cat, who was now purring like a motor-boat. Just as Soundwave was about to say something, Slipstream cut him off.

"I do NOT want to talk about it," Slipstream growled with a sense of finality, before taking in Soundwave's previous acrobatics. She looked him over with a critical eye before putting down a protesting Ravage and scooting her chair closer to his desk.

"So," she propped her arms on the edge of his desk. "Why are you so jumpy?" Soundwave subconsciously hunched his shoulders at the question. He briefly contemplated changing the subject, but knew that Slipstream would eventually make him tell her anyway, so just sighed and slumped further in his seat.

"Rumble and Frenzy: convinced I am in a relationship with..." Slipstream raised an eyebrow.

"Yes? With who?" she prompted. Soundwave hesitated.

"... Shockwave." Slipstream leaned back in her seat and smirked.

"Well? Are you?" An alarmed burst of static and a heavy blush was her answer.

"**NO**." Soundwave insisted while Ravage jumped into his lap and settled herself. Slipstream gave him a predatory smile and stood up to lean over the desk, forcing him to press back into his chair to maintain his personal space.

"_You-_" Slipstream began, "are getting much too worked up over this for it to simply be a misunderstanding courtesy of your nephews. So _I_ think-" at this she prodded Soundwave in the chest with one manicured finger, "that something happened." Soundwave recoiled from the impromptu poke before Slipstream continued.

"_And_ I expect you to do something about it, or I will." He paled visibly at that. The last time Slipstream had involved herself in his love life, she had set him up on a date with a shy young woman, who Soundwave had actually found very likeable. However, she turned out to be 'Totally Nucking Futs', if you catch his drift.

He still avoided that little deli on 5th.

Noticing the expectant look she was giving him, he nodded reluctantly. Slipstream smiled and gave Ravage, who had positioned herself between them on Soundwave's desk during their conversation, one last chin scratch before straightening.

"Well," she began, "I have things to do. And remember, don't take too long!" Slipstream then walked out of his office, shutting the door quietly behind her. Alone once more, Soundwave sank back into his chair. That woman was as bad as his sister. That is, if his sister was a possibly-crazy lesbian. Well, he supposed that normal was a little too much to ask for at this point.

-BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-

The end of the day found Soundwave carefully situating Ravage in his gym bag, the normally calm cat strangely unwilling to cooperate. Her uncharacteristic restlessness put Soundwave on edge, and once he was finally out of his office and walking to the elevator he was even glancing up and down the empty hallway.

He pushed the 'down' button, and waited for the elevator in silence. That silence was broken by humming and oddly patterned footsteps. Turning, he found the source to be a merrily skipping Digit. 'Digit' was a girl barely out of high school, who was interning at D-Con Industries for the few months before she started college. She'd become something of a 'hot potato', being foisted from one person to the next, thanks to the cheery yet unnerving air about her. Her presence didn't help Soundwave's nerves at all, doubly so when the elevator doors opened to reveal Shockwave.

Mentally cringing from his bad luck, he almost flinched when Shockwave's one-eyed gaze settled briefly on him, before passing to take in Digit. She immediately quieted before ducking her head and blushing. After the near two months of her employment, even Soundwave, who was generally no good at this, could tell the teenager had a crush on Megatron's personal assistant, as Shockwave was publicly known. Not that he could blame her, Shockwave was after all quite handsome, and he himself enjoyed his accent- **NO**. Soundwave pulled his brain away from that topic abruptly.

After his brief assessment, Shockwave open his shoulder bag to pull out some papers, and focused on Digit.

"Digit," her head immediately snapped up. "These papers need to be taken to the Science Department. I would take them myself, but there is urgent company business I must attend to. I trust you will make sure they arrive in a timely manner?" She nodded her head vigorously and beamed while bouncing forward to take the papers.

"Of course! You can count on me, I'll get them there right away!" Digit then carefully took the papers and put them into a folder. She gave Shockwave a shy smile, and Soundwave a happy little wave, before running off back down the hallway. Over this whole exchange, Soundwave had become more and more anxious. The way he saw it, he had two options: he could walk down forty-seven flights of stairs with Digit (who would undoubtedly slow herself down to walk with him), or be in an elevator with Shockwave for 56½ seconds. Just as he was about to turn and follow Digit to the stairwell, he was stopped.

"Soundwave." He reluctantly met Shockwave's eyes through his visor. Shockwave stared back at him expectantly. To be honest, he was kind of intimidated by that stare, but he felt he had a right to be. He was one of few that knew that Shockwave had a much bigger role in the company than just as Megatron's PA. It was made very clear to him when he first started here that should he find himself giving information about D-Con's darker side, he would be 'dealt with'. And Soundwave was fairly certain that the one dealing with him would be Shockwave.

With Shockwave staring like that, he felt he had no choice but to step into the elevator. He place himself as far from Shockwave as he could without plastering himself against a wall, and felt a sense of impending doom when the doors of his one escape route closed. Soundwave felt the elevator start it's descent, and half expected the other man to reach out and stop them between floors. He was relieved when they reached the ground floor without incident, and thankfully Ravage had gotten whatever need she felt to make noise out of her system before he'd gotten on.

He stepped out of the now open doors without any sense of relief, and walked as calmly as he could towards the front doors. Just as he was about to reach them, and hand descended on his shoulder. He abruptly stopped mid-step, and feeling like a character in a horror movie, slowly turned to look. Unsurprisingly, he found Shockwave, with his ever-present cool expression. Ravage of course chose that moment to worm her head out of Soundwave's bag and meow questioningly at them both.

Tension now broken, they both looked down at her at she gave them a brief holier-than-thou glance before retreating back into the duffle. With Ravage's impromptu interruption over, Soundwave and Shockwave both looked up at each other, causing Soundwave to immediately blush and be thankful that his vocalizer covered most of the lower half of his face.

"Friday, the Angelina Italian Bistro, 7 o'clock." Soundwave nearly jumped at the suddenness of Shockwave's voice in the quiet lobby. He absently nodded, and Shockwave had a faintly amused expression that was almost immediately gone, before he strode out the glass doors. It took a moment for Soundwave's brain to catch up to what had just happened, but when it did, he nearly had a panic attack. Apparently he had a date with Shockwave at some restaurant this Friday. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't show up.

Well, on the bright side, now Slipstream couldn't nag at him.

-BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-

The Angelina Italian Bistro is an actual restaurant in Detroit. I have some weird thing with doing research on these kinds of things.

YES, I put my little OC in, what of it? Don't worry, the biggest appearance she'll make is _maybe_ a quick cameo later on; she's in no way a possible instigator of 'OMG relationship DRAMA'. She's my iphone, and I love her to death too much to not give her this one part. Also, I agree with her. Yummy British accent? _Yes please_.

Also, that '56½ seconds' isn't just a random number. I researched the _heck_ outta that. I can't honestly tell you I know why, but I did, and that's what matters.

ALSO also, me and a friend are collaborating on a Transformers story called 'Transformers: The Real Story' that you should totally read. We're both huge fangirls, and have our own little head-cannon going on. What? Shameless self-advertisement? I don't know what you're talking about.


	3. Chapter 3

Soundwave's Awkward, Very Strange Day

Chapter 3

WELP, IT HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED. I am SO sorry guys, I just haven't had the inspiration to write until lately. I've had the first page of this written for a while but then my muse up and left so it's just been sitting on my computer. Now I feel like writing again so... yay?

AND, UM, ok, I just went back and read the chapters of 'Odd Moments' that focus on Soundwave, and now I feel like an idiot. Why? HIS SISTER'S NAME IS, APPARENTLY, **NOT** 'Karen'. I don't know WHY I was under the impression that it was. So let's just, y'know, use our imaginations. Or ignore it. Ignoring sounds good.

/

Alright, this part right here? It was written around the 6 page mark, on February 24. Recently I've been writing this again, and you know what? I decided that since I didn't work on it for so long, this chapter will be at lease 10 pages, NOT counting author's notes! This might even get into M-rated stuff, I don't know yet.

/

OH GOD GUYS LOOK OUT PORN ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH. Seriously I officially went 'M'. Consider yourselves warned.

DISCLAIMER, BLUH BLUH.

You know the drill: I don't own anything, etc. etc. …

-BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-

After agonizing over it for the entire week, it wasn't until Friday that Soundwave realized he didn't even know _where_ he was having dinner. After a quick Google search, he also came to the realization that while he did have nice clothes, he had the feeling that his work attire wasn't appropriate, and his closet full of T-shirts and jeans wouldn't quite cut it.

He took a brief moment to consider who he should seek help from. Slipstream? On second thought, he couldn't even imagine what kind of crazy outfit that woman would try to make him wear. His only other option was his sister, Karen. The only problem with that was she would obviously need to take him shopping, and while he was prepared for that, there was no one she could leave the twins with, giving them the estimated hour or so to attempt to wheedle the identity of his date out of him. Just the thought made him cringe.

So when Soundwave left work at 5 pm, he went straight to his sister's apartment. After being greeted by an armful of twelve-year-old, he set his bag down as gently as possible so Ravage could wriggle out. While Rumble and Frenzy chased after Ravage, Karen walked over and gave him a hug. He gave her a small squeeze and she pulled back to smile up at him. He gave her his own slightly dorky grin and then followed her into the kitchen.

"So," she said as she loaded dishes into the dishwasher. He looked up from where he had started helping her. "You've seemed off the last couple of days. Is something wrong?" Soundwave froze. He had intended to get his sister's help, but what would she say if she knew he was going on a date- **NO**, he refused to call it that. Nonetheless, she would most certainly not be happy to know it was the same person who let her children _literally_ play with a loaded gun.

Karen noticed his hesitation, and stopped what she was doing to give Soundwave her full attention. She eyed him while he started to fidget nervously. How was he supposed to go about this? He'd never really talked with his sister about relationships before and was clueless as to how to even bring it up. Karen now had a stern look on her face at Soundwave's reluctance.

"Alright, now I _know_ something's up. You only clam up like this when it's about work, but this feels different. What is it?" Soundwave quailed a little at her authoritative tone. She sounded exactly like she did when she was scolding the twins, and it more effective on Soundwave than he would like to admit. He bit his lip in apprehension, and Karen seemed to notice how nervous he was and softened.

"Sorry, I guess I'm too used to dealing with Rumble and Frenzy. Really though, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Soundwave relaxed a little and nodded. He knew his sister only wanted to help, and sometimes forgot that her younger brother was an adult too. Still, he was a little uncomfortable discussing this with her, with anyone actually, but he really did need her help, so he at least owed her an explanation.

Soundwave steeled himself, and decided that getting right to the point was the best option. 'Clothes,' he signed, and Karen looked slightly confused. "Clothes? What?" Karen asked. Soundwave fumbled a little on the next part. 'Nice clothes. Like for a date. I don't have any,' he signed, his cheeks flushing pink. Karen's understanding dawned on her face and she lit up. "Oh. Oh! Alright, that's great! Not the clothes thing, the date! Good for you!" Karen beamed at him. He tentatively smiled back.

"So you need my help picking some out? Okay, when is it?" Soundwave cringed a little when he signed 'Today' to her. Karen looked shocked for a moment. "Today!" she exclaimed, "When today?" 'Seven,' he signed, and Karen got a look of determination when she looked at the clock, which read 5:32. She abruptly turned around and strode into the living room to grab her purse. "Rumble! Frenzy! Get your shoes on, we're going out!" she yelled across the apartment.

Soundwave followed her, petting Ravage as he leaned down to grab his bag. Rumble and Frenzy raced into the living room, shoes on, and bounced around the two adults. "Where are we going?" they both asked excitedly. They followed Karen and Soundwave out the door and ran impatiently around the hallway as Karen paused to lock the apartment, and kept questioning them as they rode the elevator down to the lobby.

"Shopping," Karen finally told them once they were in her car. "For what?" they questioned. "Clothes," she said. Their faces fell instantly. "THAT'S what the big rush was about?" Frenzy asked. "_Laaaaaame!_" Rumble added. "We don't even need new clothes!" Frenzy continued. Karen shot them a look, and they paused to fasten their seat belts. Then she pulled out of the parking lot for her apartment building, and started driving to the shopping district.

Rumble and Frenzy sulked the entire drive, and continued to do so once they arrived. Karen started off with a determined stride, quickly pulling ahead while the twins lagged back with Soundwave. She passed a few shops before finding one suitable, and glancing back to make sure they saw her, waved before going in. Soundwave was perfectly happy to let her take the lead, and soon found his hands full now that the twins had seemingly gotten over their sulking.

While smiling at the twins antics, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he looked through a store window. He'd been sure he saw someone he recognized, but there was only a tall blonde man, wearing glasses and staring at a clothing rack in puzzlement. He shrugged it off, and pulled Rumble and Frenzy toward the shop that his sister had gone into. Upon entering, he was suddenly bombarded with a mass of shirts, pants, and other various clothing items. Nearly buckling under the weight, he looked at Karen in alarm.

"What," she raised an eyebrow, "Did you think we'd just grab the first thing we saw and be done with it? Come on, you need to hurry up and try these on!" With that, she started pushing him in the direction of the dressing rooms. Now that they had realized that the shopping wasn't for them, Rumble and Frenzy happily disappeared into the depths of some clothing racks, presumably to cause mischief. Soundwave would have tried to stop them from starting trouble like he knew they would, but was unceremoniously pushed into a stall before he could.

Now that he was alone, staring down at his armful of clothes, he started to panic. He had a- a date, with possibly one of the most terrifying and dangerous people he knew. 'At least it's not Megatron,' he thought, only to shake because 'mother of God, I have a date with _Shockwave. __**Today.**__'_ Before he could start to hyperventilate, he shook himself out of it and stared determinedly at the clothes in his arms.

'Alright,' he told himself, 'There has to be a reason for this. Maybe it's not a date at all.' His spirits lifted a little. 'Yes,' he thought, 'it must be a cover. A cover for-,' He instantly deflated. A cover for _what?_ Soundwave sighed in defeat. 'Who am I kidding, I have no idea what this is about,' he said to himself. He was suddenly jolted from his thoughts by the sound of Karen scolding the twins for- he didn't hear what, but he was sure that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Soundwave, are you done dressing yet?" Soundwave jumped at the sudden use of his name. "Almost," he said through his vocalizer, picking a shirt and pair of pants at random and throwing them on. Still not sure of himself, he opened the dressing room door and edged out from behind it tentatively, expecting to be berated for his 'terrible fashion sense'. Instead of disappointed muttering, he was met with a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, I thought we were going to have to go through at least ten outfits to find a good one!" Karen exclaimed happily. Soundwave paled at the thought of trying on that many different things, not to mention the no doubt tiny detail tweaking by his sister, that would take twice as much time as actually getting into the clothes. He was honestly surprised he'd managed to pick something at random that _wasn't_ terrible.

"There's something missing though…" Karen muttered to herself. She strode past Soundwave, and riffled through the clothes still in the dressing room. Letting out a sound of triumph, she pulled out a casual suit jacket, and handed it to Soundwave. He pulled it on, and looked to his sister for approval. She clapped her hands together happily.

"Perfect!" she said cheerfully. "I think we're done, and," she looked at her watch, "it's only six fifteen! That went a lot faster than I thought it would." Soundwave let his shoulders sag in relief, and went back into the stall to change into his normal clothes. Once he was done, he came back out carrying the sister-approved clothing. They paid for it at the register, and then left.

Once they were back in the car, the twins finally started their interrogation about the shopping trip, the thing Soundwave had been dreading. Curse them, for being smart enough to know to wait until there was no way for him to escape. The inquisition lasted until Karen finally snapped, and threatened them with grounding. He was convinced that the only reason they listened was because they had just gotten a remote control car, and could hardly stand to be away from it for more than an hour.

Once they got back to the apartment, Karen immediately pushed Soundwave into the bathroom and ordered him to get dressed. While he was pulling on his new pants and buttoning the shirt, he could hear the sound of the twins driving their toy car around the apartment. He shrugged the suit jacket on, and was nearly run over by two speeding cats when he tried to leave the bathroom. They were followed shortly by Rumble and Frenzy, who were chasing the cats with their car.

He hadn't realized that Bradbury was here. Thoughts of Bradbury immediately led him to thoughts of Shockwave, which in turn made him start to panic. This was how his sister found him, leaning against the wall for support, face drained of color, and face set in an expression of abject terror. When she started to fuss over him, he was tempted to wave her off, but then thought better of it. He let her check his temperature, and grill him to make sure he wasn't sick.

Once she had looked him over as thoroughly as she cared to, he gave her a tentative smile. She gave him a once-over one last time. "You're absolutely sure you don't feel sick?" she asked in concern. Soundwave nodded quickly. He didn't want to even think about what would happen if he stood Shockwave up because his sister thought he was sick. At his frantic nod, comprehension dawned on her face, and she smiled knowingly.

"Oh, I understand. You're nervous about your date, right?" Soundwave almost laughed hysterically. Nervous didn't even _begin_ to describe it. Instead, he just nodded lamely. Karen smiled back at him, then started trying to fix his hair, which he endured with as much dignity as he could. Her doing so didn't look to make much difference in the end, but she seemed pleased with her results nonetheless. Glancing at the clock, Karen started to hurry him out the door.

"You need to hurry, it's already six thirty! If you don't leave now, you might be late!" Karen said while handing him his bag, despite the fact she didn't know where he was going. Regardless, Soundwave supposed that she was right, and let her wish him good luck, then gave her a hug. As he started down the hall, he could hear Rumble and Frenzy questioning their mother about his date. Karen's admonishments were cut off as the door closed, and Soundwave exited the building.

Driving to the restaurant was nerve-wracking, since he had no idea what to expect. He resolved to get through it as quickly as possible, without being rude. Once the restaurant came into view, and the words 'Angelina Italian Bistro' were clearly visible, Soundwave started to have second thoughts. Maybe he didn't have to go? What if he skipped town, went to Santa Monica and started a new life? But no, he sighed. Maybe if it was just Shockwave, but if he suddenly disappeared, D-Con wouldn't just let him go.

So, whether or not he liked it, he had a date with Shockwave. For a brief moment he wondered how this had even happened. Surely there had to have been something that started all this? He tried to think if there was anything he had done to incur the wrath (or affections? He couldn't tell) of Shockwave, but his head was spinning, and his stomach was betraying him with hunger. So he finally gave in, and decided that whatever the reason for this, he would enjoy having a nice dinner at a nice restaurant, regardless of the company.

So he parked his car in a spot relatively close to the entrance, steeled his nerves, and walked into the restaurant. It was probably about half full, and the dining area was filled with the low murmur of multiple conversations. He suddenly felt out of place; the dress requirements were more casual than he thought, and he might not have been the _best_ dressed person there, but he was definitely one of the better dressed. Now that he was inside, he scanned the room for any sign of Shockwave. He couldn't seem to see him, but still Soundwave looked, feeling more awkward by the-

"Soundwave," a voice behind him suddenly said. Soundwave jolted in surprise and spun around clumsily, a burst of static escaping his vocalizer, and nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. His face flushed in embarrassment, and he resisted the urge to duck his head. There was Shockwave, looking at him impassively, coat folded over his arm and shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. 'He looks nice,' Soundwave immediately thought, before squashing it and pushing it aside. He and Shockwave stood there in silence for a few moments, Soundwave not knowing what to say.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting?" Shockwave asked. Soundwave nearly jumped again at what felt like a sudden statement, but managed to stay put this time. "Ne-KSSSH, Negative," he replied, embarrassed that his vocalizer chose now of all times to glitch. Shockwave simply nodded in acknowledgment, before leading the way to a table. They both sat down, and not a minute after they had settled a waiter brought them menus and took their drink orders. They both ordered water, and the waiter left them to decide what to eat.

Soundwave stared at the menu in silence, occasionally glancing up at Shockwave, who seemed completely relaxed, and perused the menu leisurely. Before Soundwave could actually make himself read the menu, Shockwave speaking had him immediately looking up. "Have you seen any interesting films recently, Soundwave?" Soundwave looked at him blankly. Did he _really_ just ask him if he'd 'seen any good movies lately'? Given that it was slightly different wording, but it was essentially the same thing. He looked at Shockwave almost incredulously, and Shockwave returned his gaze expectantly with his single eye.

"... Negative," Soundwave answered. Then, feeling obligated, he asked, "You?" Shockwave shook his head. "No, unfortunately. I've been quite busy with my duties as Megatron's Personal Assistant." Soundwave felt it involuntary shiver go down his spine at that. He had a good idea about what exactly that meant, and it was not a happy thought. They lapsed into silence, but thankfully before it could get too awkward, the waiter came back to take their order. Once he the waiter left, however, Soundwave began to get nervous again.

But at this point he was tired of feeling nervous, or panicked, or awkward around Shockwave. Hadn't he decided he was going to enjoy eating out at someplace nice? And this _was_ a nice restaurant, and the atmosphere was calm, so by God, he was going to relax if it _killed him._ Which, now that he thought about it, sincerely hoped it didn't. No, wait, he wasn't afraid of this man! ...Ok, maybe he was a little bit afraid of Shockwave. Or a lot, as the case may be.

So Soundwave made himself lean back in his chair and get comfortable. Now that he wasn't sitting straight up in his seat, it was a little easier to relax. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would. They were already like half way through, right? This made him perk up, and he even started to think a conversation was a good idea. But what was he supposed to say? 'Oh yeah, how's your work spying for Megatron going? Had to kill anyone lately?' No, that was ridiculous.

What even interested Shockwave? Soundwave could honestly say he didn't know much about the other man's personal life, other than the fact that he was the closest thing to an owner Bradbury had, and presumably lived alone. He honestly couldn't imagine Shockwave having roommates. He _did_ know that both of them made more than enough to support themselves comfortably. Soundwave used the bulk of his paycheck to pay the rent and utilities on his apartment, buy parts to upgrade his systems and for general upkeep of his vocalizer, and food for him and Ravage. The rest he put towards helping his sister get various small things she needed. He would have happily contributed more, but Karen was fiercely independent.

But that was off topic. Soundwave still had the dilemma of figuring out a good topic of conversation. Luckily for him, it was soon taken out of his hands when Shockwave spoke. "How are your nephews?" he asked in his usual calm voice. Soundwave nearly jumped again, and hoped that him jumping at the sound of Shockwave's voice didn't become a usual occurrence. The sight of Shockwave staring at him expectantly made him finally answer. "Rumble and Frenzy: doing fine." Soundwave hesitated a little before asking his own question.

"Shockwave: family?" Shockwave seemed to pause himself. He looked thoughtful for a moment before he answered. "Me and my parents do not speak very often, and I am an only child." They both let silence take over for a few seconds. "Shockwave: interests?" Soundwave finally asked. Shockwave replied more easily this time. "I enjoy reading and playing chess. I also find music appealing, though only certain genres," he paused and almost imperceptibly tilted his head, "I believe you also hold an interest in music?"

Soundwave could feel himself get flustered. "A-Affirmative. Music: what kind?" Shockwave's mouth quirked up at one side, but it was gone before Soundwave could be sure it wasn't his imagination. "Mostly classical, though some newer songs I've heard aren't bad." Soundwave was speaking again before he could stop himself. "Extensive music collection: at my apartment," NO NO NO WHAT WAS HE DOING NO, "Shockwave: interested in viewing?" OH GOD WHAT NO SHUT UP SHUT UP _SHUT UP_. What was he _doing?_ Inviting Shockwave back to his apartment? Where there wouldn't be anyone else _there?_ He would have bashed his head against the table if they weren't in public.

Shockwave actually _gave a tiny smile this time._ In the midst of Soundwave's brain hemorrhaging and rebelling against itself, Shockwave answered him. "I think that sounds agreeable. How about after dinner?" Soundwave found himself absently nodding. No, wait, _what was wrong with __him?_ He seriously needed to get control of his own movements, or else before he knew it things would be even worse. So on that note, Soundwave kept his mouth resolutely shut until their food came, and then ate silently. Shockwave seemed to be fine with the silence, and ate his food without talking as well.

Now that he had food, Soundwave realized how hungry he was. After he'd eaten a few bites, he felt better. The quiet while they ate was actually really nice. He wasn't one for silence usually, but the comfortable background noise made it so that even if he and Shockwave weren't talking, it wasn't completely silent. In the middle of their meal the waiter came back and refilled their drinks, and asked them if would be having any desert. Nearly full, Soundwave declined, and Shockwave did as well. Then the waiter brought the check, and Soundwave automatically reached for it.

Shockwave gave him a look, and he was instantly reminded of the look Karen gave him when he tried to pay for lunch too many times. He immediately pulled his hand back, and hid both of them under the table in his lap. Shockwave paid the bill, and they both stood up to leave. Shockwave turned to him once they were outside. "I'll see you at your apartment then?" he asked, and Soundwave nodded dumbly in response. At his nod, Shockwave turned and walked down the street, presumably to his car. Soundwave turned to the parking lot, walking dazedly to his own vehicle.

Once he was seated and driving home, Soundwave just let his mind go blank. He didn't want to think about anything, right now he just wanted this night to be over. His apartment was closer than Karen's, but it was a Friday night, so it took him about as long as it would have to his sister's. There was no Shockwave waiting outside his door when he got there, so he assumed that he was still stuck in traffic. 'Good,' he thought to himself. He needed some time to get his head straight, and though Shockwave probably wouldn't be too much longer, a little time was better than none at all.

After he unlocked his front door and closed it behind him, he realized that Ravage was still at his sister's. She'd be fine though; she had Bradbury, and it wasn't like she'd never spent the night without him. So Soundwave just slumped on his couch, closed his tired eyes, and relaxed. He jumped when he felt something fall onto his lap. He opened his eyes, and there was Ravage, with Bradbury sprawled on his coffee table looking smug as always. Soundwave briefly wondered how they'd managed to get in, but realized that Bradbury and his ways were just as puzzling as his pseudo-owner's.

Purring, Ravage put her paws on his chest and headbutted his face. Soundwave smiled and gave her a kiss on the head, scratching under her jaw. Let no one say his cat wasn't a good pet, standoffish though she was at times. Feeling significantly more relaxed, Soundwave scooped Ravage up while he stood, and carried her into the kitchen with him. He grabbed a soda out of the fridge, and set her down so he could open it. He took a drink, and could feel some of his energy coming back already.

When he heard a knock on the door a few minutes later, he felt a little nervous, but for the most part comfortable. He felt like those ten minutes or so with Ravage had done wonders for his anxiety. When Soundwave opened the door, Shockwave was predictable standing there, coat on and buttoned up this time. Soundwave moved aside to let him in, and Shockwave nodded to him and came in, pulling off his coat once he was inside. Ravage and Bradbury were there in an instant, winding around Shockwave's feet. He stepped over them with the ease and grace of someone who dealt with this on a daily basis, unlike Soundwave who still managed to trip over himself, despite owning Ravage for over a year now.

Soundwave felt briefly jealous of this, then realized that this probably didn't stem from dodging cats, but rather more dangerous things. Even if you didn't know who Shockwave was, you could tell from how he walked and held himself that he was not someone you messed with. Soundwave mentally accepted the fact that he'd probably never be able to dodge cats the way Shockwave could. 'Why am I even thinking about this? This is stupid,' he thought to himself.

While Soundwave was pondering the specifics of cat dodging, Shockwave slipped out of his coat, and hung it up on one of the hooks on the wall by the front door. Soundwave turned to grab his soda, but once they realized that they couldn't trip up Shockwave, the cats switched their sights to Soundwave instead. Just as he was lifting his foot to take a step, Ravage wound herself around his stationary leg, and Bradbury raced underfoot. Soundwave stumbled, and when the cats continued to trip him, began windmilling his arms in an effort to stay standing.

Now tripping catastrophically, Soundwave over corrected, and instead of forwards, managed to fall _backwards._ Realizing that he was going to fall regardless, Soundwave twisted to catch himself, but found he didn't have to. Shockwave caught him with a quiet '_oof_' at his weight, they half-stood chest to chest for a moment, Shockwave's hands on Soundwave's upper arms. He helped Soundwave push himself upright again, and Soundwave blushed furiously, flailing a little as he regained his footing. Shockwave didn't seem to mind, but his hands lingered on Soundwave's person just long enough for him to feel awkward.

Soundwave just stood there for a moment, before he figured he should get this out of the way. Even with the soda, he was beginning to get tired, and his bed was calling to him. He managed to turn and grab his drink this time and not be tripped by cats, and felt obligated to offer Shockwave something. "Shockwave: thirsty?" he asked, holding up his soda as an example. Shockwave shook his head. "No, thank you," he responded. Soundwave nodded, then led the way to his room. He kept all the hard copies of his music on shelves in his bedroom, even if he had digital copies. His personal computer was in there too, on a small desk by his bed.

He motioned to the many shelves along the walls, and Shockwave strode to the nearest one to examine it. Soundwave sat down in his desk chair and took a sip of soda. Soon Shockwave had made his way around all the shelves, and meandered his way to Soundwave. He held out a single CD case he had removed, and Soundwave took it wordlessly. He put it in his computer and hit play, and they both listened to the soft classical song that played. With the music in the background, Shockwave turned to Soundwave.

"I see you have some records, but I don't see a record player," Shockwave commented. Soundwave realized that he did, in fact, have a shelf full of records. They were from before his accident, when he used to DJ. Even if he couldn't bring himself to DJ anymore after what happened, he also couldn't bring himself to just throw away the records. He was sure he even had his equipment somewhere in his closet, gathering dust. He realized Shockwave was still awaiting a response.

"In college: used to DJ," he finally said. He loved music, but he still wasn't comfortable talking about the accident or things too closely related to it. Soundwave felt awkward with Shockwave just standing there, so he moved to sit on his bed and offered him the chair. Shockwave gave him a blank look for a brief moment, before he nodded and sat down in the chair. They just sat and listened as the song ended, but before the next song could play, a computer status message popped up, demanding attention. It had paused the first song with less than a second left.

Soundwave leaned over and grabbed the mouse, closing the message and starting the next track on the CD. As he was pulling away though, he was stopped by Shockwave's hand on his shoulder. Nervously, Soundwave looked at him, but couldn't read the expression on Shockwave's face. 'Oh god what,' was Soundwave's only thought as Shockwave's other hand reached around, unfastening his vocalizer and setting it aside. Soundwave willed himself to move, but his muscles were all frozen in place. Without the vocalizer obscuring his face anymore, his blush was clearly visible, along with the scars on his throat and neck.

Shockwave gently touched the scars, face devoid of expression. Soundwave was panicking a little on the inside. 'What is he doing? What do I_ do_?' he thought frantically. Shockwave finally seemed satisfied with whatever he was looking for, and his hand on Soundwave's neck withdrew. Soundwave only had a brief moment to be relieved though, because that same arm curled itself over Soundwave's shoulder and around his neck to pull him closer. His other hand slid from it's place now resting on his shoulder, and instead tangled itself in the hair at the nape of Soundwave's neck.

Without realizing it, Soundwave's hands moved to the arm rests on the chair. He held them in a white-knuckled grip, not daring to move. 'What do I _do?_' Soundwave thought again. While Soundwave's mind raced, Shockwave had scooted to the edge of the chair. His thoughts ground to a halt when Shockwave leaned forward and fit their mouths together. If possible, Soundwave's grip tightened, but without thinking he kissed back. 'What am I _doing?_' he mentally shrieked. Shockwave pushed them both back and onto Soundwave's bed, and Soundwave sat down on the edge when the backs of his knees hit the bed.

Shockwave placed a knee on either side of Soundwave's thighs and settled himself in his lap, finally breaking for air. With nothing else to grab, Soundwave automatically put his hand on Shockwave's hips. Once he realized where his hands were, he pulled them away as if they were burned. Shockwave seemed to notice this and pulled away so that they weren't flush against each other anymore. Soundwave felt part of himself protest the loss of warmth before he squashed it, while Shockwave held him at arms length by his shoulders, and looked at him with a serious expression.

"If you don't want this, tell me," he said bluntly, and then waited. This was it! He could say no, and Shockwave would stop. He'd be out of this surreal situation at last, just like he'd wanted! Soundwave was about to bring up his hands to sign, but stopped before he'd even moved. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't feel pressured to not say anything, at this point he didn't feel panicked so much as vaguely bewildered. 'But this is my chance to end all this!' he thought. So he raised his hands, but instead of signing, they settled themselves back on Shockwave's hips with an air of finality.

Shockwave relaxed his grip and leaned closer again, and Soundwave found himself leaning forward to meet him in another kiss. This time when they parted, they were both panting a little, and Shockwave was visibly flushed. Soundwave leaned forward a gently nibbled at the place where Shockwave's neck met his shoulder, and received a low noise of pleasure. Shockwave let his head loll back to give Soundwave more access, and pressed himself closer. Once Soundwave was done and had pulled away, Shockwave brought his head back up. He pushed Soundwave back so he was propped up on his elbows, and unbuttoned both their shirts with deft fingers.

After they both shrugged out of their shirts, Shockwave leaned forward to give Soundwave a kiss, and pushed him fully onto his back before pulling away to kneel over him. Shockwave ran his hand up Soundwave's sides and over his chest, then paused to tweak a nipple. Soundwave took a sharp breath, the blush on his face spreading to his neck, and Shockwave leaned forward to suck on the side of his neck, where the blush had just begun to spread to. When he was done, there was a beginnings of what would be a large hickey, and he moved to kiss Soundwave again. When they kissed this time, they were both out of breath, and it quickly got sloppy.

They parted, and were briefly connected by a strand of saliva. Soundwave made a face at this, and the corner of Shockwave's mouth quirked up at his expression. Soundwave noticed this, and flushed a bit more. Feeling embarrassed, he huffed and sat up, pulling Shockwave closer by his hips. In doing so, Soundwave inadvertently brushed their groins together. Shockwave let out a groan and grabbed Soundwave's shoulders, and Soundwave gasped soundlessly, his grip on Shockwave's hips tightening. Using his grip on Soundwave's shoulders, Shockwave ground their hips together more forcefully, giving another low moan at the friction, and causing Soundwave to arch and gasp.

Shockwave leans away and makes quick work of both of their slacks, and climbs off of Soundwave to slide his off. Soundwave does so as well, and takes this opportunity to right himself on the bed, and in moments Shockwave is back and kneeling over Soundwave again. They're both naked at this point, and Soundwave feels his erection pulse at the sight of Shockwave kneeling over him, flushed and breathing heavy. Shockwave sits himself on Soundwave's thighs, taking hold of his member and giving it a gentle squeeze. Shockwave strokes him into full hardness, and Soundwave mouths a silent moan, now breathing heavily as well.

Deciding to take charge, Soundwave rolls himself forward so that Shockwave is on his back. Shockwave doesn't protest, and just rubs his thumb over Soundwave's head, making him shudder and pant. Soundwave holds himself up with one hand so that he can grip Shockwave, and with a firm slide he is moaning and gripping Soundwave almost too tightly. Shockwave's grip finally loosens, and he lets go of Soundwave so he can lean up and pull him into a heavy kiss. He throws a leg over Soundwave's hip, dragging himself closer and pressing their lengths together. Soundwave lets go of Shockwave so his arms can take most of his weight, and Shockwave rolls his hips, groaning into the kiss.

Breaking away again, Soundwave twists so that he can reach into a desk drawer and pull out a small bottle of lube. He turns back and hovers uncertainly for a moment, before Shockwave takes the bottle from him. He spreads a little on his fingers, and leans back before reaching down and carefully sliding his first finger into himself. Soon he adds a second finger, and Soundwave blushes more at watching him do so, feeling awkward for the first time since they started. Shockwave's eye has drifted closed, and he quietly gasps and moans as he thrusts his fingers, making Soundwave's member ache.

After what seemed like forever to Soundwave, Shockwave pulled his fingers out. He poured some more lube into his hand, and stroked Soundwave to spread it. Soundwave bit his lip, and once he was done Shockwave wrapped both legs around him and rested on his elbows. Soundwave took a hold of his erection and guided it to Shockwave's entrance, slowly pressing the head in. Shockwave hisses quietly, and once he is fully seated, Soundwave stops moving at all, resisting the urge to thrust. Shockwave lowers himself carefully, and pulls Soundwave to him, nodding.

Soundwave begins to thrust shallowly, and picks up the pace when Shockwave starts to arch to meet them. Shockwave tightens his arms around Soundwave's neck and groans. Soundwave buries his face in Shockwave's shoulder, trying to keep an even pace. Shockwave leans up by his ear, and makes a low sound. "Harder," he groans, and Soundwave's rhythm stutters for a moment at the breathy demand. Complying, he thrusts harder, and Shockwave's nails dig into his back as he cries out.

"_Ah,_ Soundwave-!" he gasps, and Soundwave bites his lip and groans silently. He can feel himself getting close, and is starting to lose his rhythm when he feels Shockwave clench around him, before he moans loudly and comes. Thrusting into what now feels like a vice, Soundwave soon follows him, shaking and shouting silently. Once his vision clears, Soundwave can see his arms are shaking, barely supporting his weight. Before he rolls to the side, he's caught by Shockwave's half-lidded gaze, and gives no resistance when he's pulled into a tired kiss.

Almost nodding off, they clean up themselves with the top sheet and push it off the bed, then slide under the comforter. They end up twined together, and soon Soundwave slips into sleep, the comforting weight of Shockwave's head on his chest.

-BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK-

Well, there you go. The second sex scene I've ever written, just for you guys! I hope you're happy. Again, I'm SO sorry that this chapter took so long. For awhile there I lost pretty much any will to write, but lately I've gotten back in the groove! So hopefully _this _time it won't take me a year to get another chapter written.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!


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